The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Conventionally, reclining articles of furniture (i.e., chairs, sofas, loveseats, and the like), referred to hereinafter generally as reclining chairs, utilize a mechanism to bias a leg rest assembly in extended and stowed positions and separate components to allow a back seat member to recline with respect to a seat base. Known furniture members can also include mechanism designs that also permit the reclining chair to rock in a front-to-back motion with respect to an occupant. Occupant lumbar support is commonly provided by one or more cushion members which abut with or are connected to a horizontally configured member such as a strap or similar flexible member. This member is commonly joined at its ends to vertically oriented backrest side support arms which are in turn rotatably connected to a furniture member chair frame.
Most reclining chairs upholster the chair frame and support the chair frame from a stationary base assembly in a manner permitting the chair frame to “rock” freely with respect to the base assembly. In order to provide enhanced comfort and convenience, many rocking chairs also include a “reclinable” seat assembly and/or an “extensible” leg rest assembly. For example, combination platform rocking/reclining chairs, as disclosed in Applicant's U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,096,121 and 4,179,157, permit reclining movement of the seat assembly and actuation of the leg rest assembly independently of the conventional “rocking” action. The leg rest assembly is operably coupled to a drive mechanism to permit the seat occupant to selectively move the leg rest assembly between its normally retracted (i.e., stowed) and elevated (i.e., extended or protracted) positions.
Known leg rest assemblies and furniture member mechanisms are operated by either a manually rotatable handle positioned on an outside surface of the furniture member. When rotated the handle fully repositions the leg rest assembly from a stowed to a fully extended position, or is oppositely rotated to return the leg rest assembly to the stowed position. Known handle operated systems are generally not intended to provide intermediate position control of the leg rest assembly. Other known leg rest assemblies and furniture mechanisms are operated by a release switch which is re-positioned from a normally closed position to a release position, and biased to return to the normally closed position when released by the occupant. These devices are also generally not intended to provide intermediate position control of the leg rest assembly. Lumbar support member and head rest positions, if movable, are generally not controllable by a lever or switch.